BC Salmon Rocks

When I think of the best food from British Columbia, I think of big bright pink wild salmon. It's not that I don't love all salmon, it's just that salmon caught off the coast of BC or Alaska is quite frankly the best. 

So when Valerie from A Canadian Foodie challenged everyone who volunteered in The Canadian Food Experience Project to write about a Canadian regional food this month, I had no other choice than to choose salmon. I decided to pair my salmon with a fun cauliflower cous cous recipe because while cauliflower is sold and eaten year round, it's best in the winter. 

So if you have a food processor and are eager to pulse a head of cauliflower into couscous, read on for my easy recipe - inspired by cold Canadian winter dreams of heading to Morocco. 

Wild BC Salmon with Cauliflower Couscous - serves 4

4 fillets of wild BC salmon, skin on
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 small head of cauliflower, or 1/2 of a large head
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 cup of vegetable broth
2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 cups of baby spinach
1/2 cup of olives, sliced and pitted
1/4 cup of capers
1/2 cup of artichoke hearts, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cut cauliflower into florets and pulse in a food processor in batches. Pulse until small for a couscous style effect and pulse until a wee bit larger for a risotto style effect.

2. Add half of the olive oil to a deep frying pan and sauté the onion until soft, about five minutes.

3. Heat a thick bottomed pan to medium high heat and add remaining oil. Season salmon fillets with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, put the salmon in the pan, skin side down. Cook until the skin is crispy and the fish is partially cooked through. Flip each piece of salmon and briefly cook another few seconds to finish cooking. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. While the fish is cooking, finish the cauliflower couscous. Add the pulsed cauliflower to the onion and toss to combine. Add some of the vegetable broth and cook until the cauliflower softens, about five minutes. Add the spinach, olives, capers, and artichokes and more broth is desired. Toss to combine and cook until spinach is wilted.

4. Season cauliflower couscous to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

5. Serve a big scoop of cauliflower couscous with a fillet of BC salmon. Enjoy!

The Canadian Food Experience Project began on June 7 2013. As we (participants) share our collective stories through our regional food experiences,  we hope to bring global clarity to our Canadian culinary identity.